HOW TO USE BUTYL TAPE TO SEAL DECK FITTINGS ON A SAILBOAT - SAILING FOLLOWTHEBOAT EXTRA
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 มิ.ย. 2018
- Do you use Sikaflex or 3M 5200 adhesives for sealing fittings all around your sailboat deck? Find out why butyl is best...
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In yesterday's episode (link in video) we talked about butyl tape as a sealant for deck fittings, in this extra we show you how it is applied and talk about some of the advantages of using it.
Advantages:
- Cheap
- Easy to use
- Little wastage
- Stores well and lasts for years
- More environmentally friendly than adhesive sealants
Disadvantages:
- Can be difficult to source (not in many chandleries)
- Not as adhesive as modern adhesive sealants
- Continues to extrude and may require extra scraping
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Have you used butyl, or do you have a better alternative? Don't forget to 'like' the video; and if you feel like supporting us, please head on over to www.patreon.com/followtheboat
Give it a go, you won't be disappointed 👍
I used to install big windows , double and triple glazed, in skyscrapers. That is what is used pretty much all over. Fantastic product !
Thanks - very useful video. You can get butyl tape from roofing merchants. It's used to form a seal between corrugated roof sheets. It comes in various sizes on rolls and is not expensive. That's what I'm using on my boat and it works fine.
Amazing stuff but thanks to the EPA most butyl tape of today is not the same as the butyl tape of years gone by. There is actually a water soluble butyl tape, which of course would be really bad for boating applications. One of the best I ever found is called Bed It Butyl Tape from Compass Marine. It is specifically designed for marine use and will give you many years of service. It is typically more expensive but a little goes a long way. In a pinch the black stuff can be found at most commercial glass companies as they often use it for bedding skyscraper windows.
Butyl tape was used extensively by boat builders in Canada in the 70’s and 80’s not only for bedding deck hardware but also for bedding the deck to the hull. I just removed some deck hardware from a boat built in 1981 that was installed using butyl tape. It was still watertight and still flexible.
Good to know, Bill.
Jamie - thank you for taking the time to put together concise and informative videos for the sailing community. While not as exciting as your sailing/discovering / adventuring ones- the kit that keeps the whole show on the road is important. A yacht that leaks soon becomes an unpleasant place to live - so keeping your home dry is über important.
For the few that criticise this video I recommend they do not use butyl on their armchair.
Brilliant! Those armchairs do require constant maintenance, Norman.
Refiting my 42 ft Moody Ketch using butyl on all windows seals and screw down hatches , the orginal seals were butyl lasted 40 years with minor leaks in the last few , windows came out a dream , love butyl , cheap and very easy to use , well done Jamie for showcasing this stuff
About to begin working on a refit of a 28 foot sailboat (my first boat) and definitely planning to re-bed every deck fitting with butyl tape, looks easy to do and easier to repair if any leak does arise.
I've just done the stanchion bases on my own boat and I used butyl tape and I must say it works brilliant...
Anyone who uses this tip won't be disappointed.
Awesome tip. I'm going to try it out. Looks like this stuff is available on Amazon for $14. I kind of wish it didn't come in 30' lengths. I need about 6"...maybe I can use it for my little camper too. Thanks!
It's great tape to have in the bottom of a tool box, There is also a very heavy thick sticky tape called monkey tape we use at the dive company on emergency leaky flow control valves 130 ft down and it even seals pressurised lines with upto 2000 psi down that deep, So if you ever had a long hairline fracture to the hull that leaks it would stick nicely to the outside damage hull like super glue, But it is very messy to handle but if the boat is leaking who cares you can always clean the mess up later with strong thinners to take it off, And cost 1/10 of them special emergency patches you can buy for the hull, But the monkey tape would do just as good a job if the crack develops below the waterline,, Fair winds!
Shaun, when I tried looking for this on Google, I only came up with search results for an athletic finger tape. Can you provide a link or the proper company name? Sounds exactly what I need to stop a pesky leak around my centreboard cable. I've tried that epoxy putty in a tube but it only works when dry so a tiny channel will form allowing water to seep out from under the hard epoxy (which means sanding it off, etc.). Thanks.
I've used it for a long while; when I started i could only get black and sourced it from window/windshield installers.... now I have to find out where to get white! Cheers
I installed air-conditioning system for 15 years -- I used the pure butyl caulk all the time and loved it. You are right about sourcing the stuff. Warning: There are many products that say "butyl" on them but most are mixed with some other chemical and do not work nearly as well -- many of these are sold by large retailers. Industrial supply houses are the best bet.
New Stainless Portlights by Newfound Metals - factory recommendation is to completely fill the voids with butyl tape and then tighten the portlight outer trim ring with interior bolts, sandwiching the butyl and compressing it in the steel/deck/steel sandwich. A year later and zero leaks, although I still have it weeping, especially after a hot month.
Since doing this, I've come to the conclusion that when bedding, a mechanical fastening system used with butyl tape sealant is the most bulletproof available. I've had some black butyl on the boat sealing the pedestal for 18 years with zero leaks, so the longevity is there as well. Great post. Thanks!
Butyl tape = great stuff. I've used it for decades and not just on boats. The local, very well stocked, Chandler where my last boat was moored had never heard of the stuff. After I asked about butyl it became a regular stock item for him. Best part is when you need to rebed there are no messy adhesives to sand or grind off.
No mess, that's what we love about butyl, Don 👍
That's a top tip thanks as I have a stantion like yours it was lose tighten it still leaks eBay to the rescue 👍🏻
Do it! And let us know how you get on with it.
Takes a while to your vids are posted in certain parts of the world your notification only just came up in my feed from port stephens nsw Australia my like was 870. Keep up the great work I’m going on 3 years since my back injury 3 seperate operations finished with a double fusion L4 to S1. To go sailing has been my dream for over 20 years now the kids are or nelly grown and left the nest I’ve finally talked the Mrs into taking the jump so hopefully in around 3 to 4 years we are going to buy a yacht and the day we do I can’t wait to finally sit back and have a brew with you’s one day but till then keep up the good work it’s people like you’s that keep my dream alive sitting back in bed living through your vids cheers.
See you out here! 👌 Liz
I just bought some butyl tape on Amazon and am ready to instal a replacement port with it. Thanks for reinforcing my decision to try this. If it works well, I’ll be resealing a ton of leaking deck fittings. Cheers!
Just remember to not turn the bolt... although someone did suggest allowing the bolt to turn a little so the butyl works its way into all crevices.
Thanks for the Info. Cheers !
Pleasure, Robert.
Thanks for sharing Jamie. One tip from me is not to use a screwdriver for trimming it around fittings. I always use a hard plastic scrapper. I make mine from broken plastic windows from caravans/motorhomes, boats or just offcuts of plexiglass. Just cut a 1" wide piece 6" long and sharpen one end with a file or grinder. You can make them as wide or as narrow as you need. If you slip off the tape squeeze out and skate across the finished surface you don't leave a big gouge in it. I discovered years ago that silicone is a crap leak sealant. Always use Butyl or rubber based sealers in wet environs. Fair winds & regards from the UK
Hi Gary. Your comment appears alongside Jed's who said the same thing. Yes, plastic scraper is sensible.
I have used 3M 5200 and will never again. It can be stronger than the thing you are fitting, and so causes you to break it when removing or repositioning. I've been researching butyl tape and I can't see a good reason to not use it. Thanks for the tips. Now I need to find it in gray or white.
Great advice, never heard of the stuff. Me thinks I'll have a look at the re-fit video, if I can find it.
If you're watching on a computer there was a link to the playlist in the video, Gogs. Check the top-right corner. Or take a look at our Playlist section and look for the refit. I think the episode is around 38.
Great Vid! I have used butyl tape extensively on our WS42 Harmony: no leaks and no mess. One can remove butyl tape residue or clean up residue with plain mineral spirits. Fair Winds from Doug on WS42 Harmony
Thanks, Doug. Fair winds to you too.
Than you for another great video :)
👍
cool video dude cheers
👌
great stuff .
👍
Great useful information
Cheers, Gordon.
I've been using butyl for several years. I first started using it to re-seal the fixed port lights, which started leaking almost immediately after using some tubed product. Great stuff.
Good to know, Jeff.
I have a 29 year old RV which had a very rotten, sagging roof which I removed and rebuilt last summer. I used yards of butyl tape to reset roof vents, corner moldings, etc., and found that using it was indeed easy and efficient. However, I also used a self-leveling caulk on top of these locations to ensure a waterproof seal. Good stuff - available through RV supply firms (as others have noted) and on Amazon (where I bought mine). I'm looking forward to your Japan / North Pacific / Pacific Northwest adventures!
Good tip on the self-leveling caulk, Tim.
Used Butyl tape on some persistently leaking deck fittings near the cockpit. Leaks never returned! The downside: my wife stationed her favorite clothes from the excess / exude. It never sets and will adhere easily to fabrics. White spirit / dry cleaning to remove.
If have used butyl tape a lot since discovering it. Brilliant stuff and not the mess I always got into with tubes of Sikaflex. Also easy to remove and replace fittings with no gelcoat damage. Great advice,and good to hear after 4 years yours has not failed. Andy UK
Thanks for the feedback, Andy. That's two happy customers!
Sailing followtheboat I have seen Mads on Sail Life use Butyl in a tube for his port plights but I have no idea if that is the same product at all but he was able to remove his port lights without damage so it has similar properties. Cheers
Andy UK, I never told that Sika is better to use for this application On the contrary Sika is for the most application to strong in chemical bonding. So cracked on a friends boat the PMMA windows because the Sika was not flexible enough. I used all this stuff and prefer a cheap window silicone rubber. It's easy to get, it's cheap, it's easy to remove. As I renovated my Deck it was a nightmare to remove old Sika and old butyl. Even for me as I know how to destroy this sealants. I never would use it for port lights. Butyl is used for the primary seal of insulating glass, always in combination with silicone, polysulfide, polyurethane for the physical strength. As well it's used in the car industry and other industries to prevent from scratches or holt the parts in place while screw or glue them together.
Truth be told, I've never been that interested in the nuts and bolts of maintenance but I do like your short videos on the subject BECAUSE OF YOUR VERBAL PRECISION AND THE CARE WITH WHICH YOU DESCRIBE SOMETHING OTHERWISE TEDIOUS. (All CAPS should be apparent elsewhere.) I poke around various sailing channels but subscribe to you and Liz and a wonderful fellow named Christian Williams. Regards, please, to Liz and Millie.
That's kind of you to say so, Daniel, we appreciate the positive feedback. Thanks for swinging by and commenting 👍
Sailing followtheboat Read on, read on elsewhere! Regards as always.
Used it for all above waterline fittings when constructed my yacht.
35 years and 110000 nm still no leaks
butyl is amazing... Just worked with Sika 710 another high recommended butyl based sealant. But for screws I prefer Butyltape....
Not tried Sika 710, Dick. We'll look out for it.
Hi Guy's. (Ant) I used butyl tape and in my my career by the ton. The supplier's will tell you it has a shelf life of 12 months and has to be stored at +5c and below 30c . However, my experience in the field is the material is just about indestructible. The key (no pun intended) is working clean, ensuring the surfaces are clean and dust free. that means chemically clean no oily finger prints. It is less susceptible to UV than DOW, Sika and other sealants. But can be affected but cleaning products oils and chemicals. It also does not leach polymers into the materials that other sealants do. Giving a tell tail "smudge" line around the joint or gap. Overall a much better solution that is non hardening and will outlast just about everything on the market . Ant. Ant & Cid xx Sail Safe .
Big box stores (Home Depot & Lowe's) and RV/Camper stores carry the stuff. Cheap and really is the best product for sealing deck hardware along with squeaky cabinets that just will not stay firmly attached.
Hadn't thought of the squeaky cabinet application. Thanks for that, Jeff 👍
I like it, I'm going to try it. I will be doing a refit soon to my boat (not sail) , just waiting for tax time and refund.
something that's not a sticky mess out of a tube sounds winning, flexible and workable.
ebay, well who goes to a shop anymore.
well we all do and don't, we are all shop for best bang for buck. but we also try to keep the little guy going too.
while I have never used this product, I have seen / discovered evidence of its use.
Good luck with the refit, David. We'd be interested to know how you get on with it.
It will be interesting to find out how the Butyl tape fairs when you sail up north in freezing weather after having applied it a hotter environment.
Hmmm. Well it does expand and contract, Robert, and that could cause some issues as we move to colder climes. We'll have to keep an eye on that.
I’m going to give it a try! I have stainless steel screws fixing an aluminium window frame in place. I think the two are reacting when wet, which is then leaving a dark coloured stain running down from the fixing point to the deck. This may give me separation of the two metals. I was going to try loctite, but will try this instead.
We also used it for our aluminium frames fixed in place with stainless screws. Again, works a treat.
We use a butyl rubber adhesive in double sided paper (advertiser states its coated on a polyethylene net, whatever that is). Same properties as what you are using but sticky as the proverbial to a blanket.
Yes, I saw this stuff advertised (after we did the refit). As you can see I roll it up and kneed it into a 'worm' so I'm not sure the double-sided sticky effect would work in the application in the video, but for lining a window frame I can see how it would be useful.
CERTAINLY IS A ONE USE PRODUCT, BUT EASY TO REMOVE SURPLUS SIMPLY LIKE REMOVING BLUETAC
Ah! Butyl tape! Love the stuff. But, here in Canada you can buy a grey butyl tape or the creamier version that it appears you are using on the video. In the hot sun, the grey butyl does not soften up nearly as much. We use it to seal long window inserts on our boat. Another thing I found before using in long applications like window inserts, unlike deck fittings, is to keep the butyl tape cold (leave in the freezer) just before applying strips to long areas. If the tape gets to room temp or however hot it is, it is much harder to handle. Another tip is to keep a small bowl of soapy water near by. You can dip your fingers in soapy water before handling large strip. I bought my grey butyl tape online from a US vendor.
Yes. Like the soapy water tip, Cedric.
I would be ok on a stanchion I was meaning a tank port or somewhere you might build up pressure
Yes, good point, James 👍
Hi folks, Butyl caulk or tape works well . Clean up was a problem, found that oil does job.
Nice tip, thank you
Watched this and shortly after TH-cam made the suggestion I watch Sail Life using Butyl Tape vid.
The hidden algorithms strike again.
😂
3M 4200 for the absolute win folks. 3M 5200 if you never ever want to remove it or any reason without tearing off gel coat (You may have to pull so hard you lift the boat out of the water). It's impossibly messy and tacks to everything you touch which is why it's awesome. Here's the way: remove old fitting, clean it and the deck with acetone, put down masking tape, dry fit part, cut tape, remove fitting and the cut piece of tape, PUT ON NITRILE GLOVES put the goo on the fitting, set in position, put some on the bolts, where the go through deck, install, remove excess around fitting, remove tape. Change gloves as soon as they're fucked or you'll get that shit everywhere. After its dry you can clean around the bolt heads where it comes out. Don't even try when wet or you'll smear it everywhere.
as my marine engineering instructor would say "adheres tenaciously to the periphery of the annulus"
If it made him happy then who are we to complain?
Have used it professionally for decades to seal stainless steel leaktrays to bartops. Works like a charm as it does not dry out. only downside to it is, as it continues to squeez out, it can get on clothes and it's impossible to remove once it's inbedded in textile.
Keep the overalls on, Ruud 😉
Btw. Diesel/petrol has already been mentioned as dissolving Butyl tape. Use white spirit to clean and remove it from surfaces and smooth the seals.
True Jamie, however i've transferred it from overalls to carseat to jeans!
There's a disadvantace to not drying out!!!!
Most roofing supply stores sell the butyl tape. used for metal roofing panels.
That's what I say in the clip, Rich 😁 The problem is that they often only sell black butyl, which can leave marks on the deck
Butyl tape, great product. Sadly it is not as commonly used as it once was. Used to always find it in lot of old time small hardware stores. Been replaced by all these new fangled products, sometimes better, sometimes not, depending on situation. You said you might want to go back and retighten ... actually that should not be might but is strongly recommended that you should always do this. One of reasons why it has been replaced, it cost more labour. Also the life expactancy is roughly 30 years, can last decade or so longer, but about 30 years should be looking at replacing it as it will start losing its flexibility and elasticity. As you mentioned it is not really an adhesive, does have adhesive properties but also why other products were used which had been more designed for adhesives. Can understand this for things like cleats at front where you use anchor tied off, other times dont understand so much, like window portals that do not require much if any adhesion strength.
Very similar to plumbers putty. Butyl tape can be found in plumbing supply stores usually.
Did not know that, thank you.
Yep - might also be called plumbers mastic - used for bedding sink wastes and sealing taps to bench tops etc...
It may appear the same at first glance but are definitely not the same product. Plumber's putty is made from clay and linseed oil while butyl tape is a synthetic rubber. Plumbers putty will take a long time, think twenty years, but it will harden, crack and leak while butyl will never harden, crack or leak if installed properly.
I have never been a huge fan of coming back later and re-tightening nuts after cure, but with a material like butyl tape that can "cold flow", it makes perfect sense. Turning the bolts instead of the nuts i can confirm will dramatically increase the chances of creating leaks. But giving them a one-time-only 3/4 turn back and forth during initial assembly, will distribute the sealant to all the nooks and crannies. You cannot expect a good seal if you just drill-and-bolt. All the drilling must be completed and everything must be disassembled and cleaned, before any type of caulking or final bolting occours. For wood or sheet metal screws, which must be turned, try Boatlife Life Caulk. Except for professional boat builders driving square or hex socket head screws all day every day etc, driving any stainless screw, or running up any ss nut with an electric driver or drill, is Asking For Trouble. Drive boat screws Mauually. If the sheetmetal screw is too hard to turn, your pilot hole is too small. Ignore the charts that state pilot hole sizes, this is boatbuilding not aircraft assembly! If your bolt head can still turn after the nut is tight, remove the nut and add washers. I will never use a ss split lock washer, those must be spring or high carbon steel to work as designed. Nylock nuts are a great choice, but use regular nuts for the preliminary fitting instead of wearing out the plastic inserts. I have not assembled a single Stainless nut to any ss bolt in the last 30 years that did not have anti-seize compound added to the threads. It can destroy the seal, so just add a dab to the bolt end before screwing the nut on. To avoid electrochemical reaction between the stainless and the anti-seize, avoid graphite or aluminum based products. My favorite is the Starbrite red, or use nickle-based anti-seize, which is often found in hi-temp formulas. OR, stik wax (or warm water surfboard wax), is an excellent anti-seize! Notice that Jamie does not put the sealant around the deck holes, that will just push the caulk out. Put the caulk or tape on the screws or parts near the top only. Less mess to clean up. I have to agree with your assessment that cordless drills are inferior to a good high quality corded tool, but how practical is that if you have no genset or monster battery murderer, oops, i meant inverter! Tip: if you run your american drill on 220v found in many countries, it will spin Really Fast! Wordy, i know, aimed at people who really care and realize the quickest method is to Slow Down. If you really want the best results, make all projects multi-day, that is, take your initial ideas and sleep on it. Thank You.
Thanks for the comment, Marty, there's a few great pointers among it. I noticed Beta had put a small amount of Locktite on my impeller housing screws in the same way you describe - just a dab on the end. Didn't know the stik wax trick - does that really work? Cheers.
Sailing followtheboat i was surprised to read the label and see "anti-seize" listed. I always have a tube with me because it is very handy for any kind of rope splice. Really i believe the nickel base is best to prevent stainless nuts from galling. Locktite is great for resisting vibration and a great insulator. Regardless of color, never worry about whether it will ever come apart when it needs to, it will. Anti-seize is especially good for stainless, if you magnify the threads with a loupe, the roughness of this metal is startling. Anti-seize is good for engine etc bolts too. Just realize that published torque values do not apply to any thread which has anti-seize on it. The danger is overtightening. Yikes. High carbon steel bolts are way stronger than ss, but they will rust away outside. So that's one reason our engines don't have ss bolts. Another 2 reasons are they are brittle, and although they are not officially graded like steel engine bolts that can be grade 5 or even higher, but 18-8 ss would never be more than grade 2 with a few pence change. Can we combine locktite and nevr-seez? Heck yes. One should realize that it only takes a bit of anti-seize, any amount is likely enough. Anti-seize is an extreme pressure lube, which is what a srew thread (inclined plane) Needs. Tube wax is ok in a pinch, but nickel is best. One would think the copper-based anti-seize would be best for avoiding corrosion on copper alloy fittings like bottle screw threads of bronze. Turns out that the very noble nickel is still better on a bronze, or stainless, or a combination of both, turnbuckle thread. And stick wax, like Castrol, is also the Best cutting oil for stainless, bar none. Seriously, if someone needs to cut a ss bolt, clamp it in a vise between two pieces of wood and extend the wood outside the jaws, to where the sticks will get cut too. That will help steer the hacksaw blade into one spot, not dancing all over the place to start the cut. Or make your cut with the blade just grazing the vise jaw. Start the cut and stick a blob of wax onto it. Use a Coarse tooth, high speed steel blade, like 18 teeth /inch. Two hands on the saw. Once the blade is moving with each stroke go from no pressure to as much weight as you can lean into it. Never let the blade stop whilst applying pressure. Most bolts will take less than 10 strokes. Using a blade with fine teeth, like 32tpi, will only Polish, and even harden stainless steel. Think of it as cutting a crystal, we need to RIP through that sucker. If the stainless is thick, a 14tpi blade will work, for thin sheet metal make all cuts through a thick ply wood sandwich with the metal in the middle. Manually cutting stainless is always going to work better than a cheap bandsaw or any sabre, scroll saw or sawzall blade, once you get your technique dialed in! Cheers and thank you for providing this space for me to vent.
hi how can i order for butyl leak tape iam in ksa ineed 2 box how much
I use this product building cooling towers. IT is very important that you clean the sections with either methyl hydrate or rubbing alcohol. This will ensure a long long life.
I've got towers 30 plus years still holding strong . Btw don't over tighten or you'll squeeze all the product out.
Good advice, Jim 👍
I have used butyl tape before. I am not a sailor but an RVer. Butyl tape is used all over an RV sealing windows, vents, skylights, etc. In fact ever RV store has it so can be another source if you happen to be in a location that has RVs.
That's good to know, Garry. I'm not sure it's so popular in the UK but here in Thailand the only stuff we could find was the big, black stuff they use for roofing. It still works ok but it can leave black marks on the deck, so white is preferable.
Sailing followtheboat when you get to the Pacific NW in America, you will find it everywhere, but it may be gray rather than white. Safe travels.
Thanks, Garry.
I have always wondered if the black butyl is the same stuff ... it certainly works really well for roofing, gutters, etc and is supposedly more UV resistant. Which always made me wonder if did not have another product in it as well.
It really is the only thing to use for that type of sealing.
👌
Great product but only for above waterline applications.
And not to be used near your diesel deck filler either.
I am a big fan of Butyl tape and have been using it ever since your refit video. There is a website made by a guy who sells his own special formula of Butyl called "Bed-it Butyl" which goes into a lot of detail on the hows and whys of butyl tape.
www.pbase.com/mainecruising/rebedding_hardware&page=1
Mads at Sail Life has a lot to say about the benefits of butyl tape in many of his videos too. It is great stuff and I use it almost exclusively above the waterline.
We have one weird problem with butyl tape and that is with our stanchions. We had to go back and re-do them all again after our deck repairs were don because the Hallberg-Rassy stanchion bases have a large dish to them since the bases are dished upwards in the middle from their outer circumference . This is probably to help more bedding compound stay under the bases but in the case of butyl tape the bedding area is so thick between the deck and the inside of the dished stanchion base that there is not enough force/pressure pushing down on the "O-rings" around the bolt holes to keep them well-bedded when the stanchion is torqued around over time. We went back and put a washer on every bolt so that it is the washer itself pushing down on the o-ring where the hole is bevelled and then 1 more butyl ring on top of that between the washer and the stanchion base, and then again one more butyl ring above the base and under the bolt head. This seems to have filled in the gap nicely, and fixed our leaky stanchions that didn't seal right with just butyl last year.
One other common problem is just like you mentioned where you can not turn the bolt or it can rip and tear the butyl o-ring in the bevel. So plates that are fastened down by screws (like some slotted cover plates over/around the chainplates) sometimes have issues with butyl since you obviously MUST turn any screw from above. So far our stanchion bases with screws have held up fine but I may need to go back and drill tiny #8 through-bolts at each screw-hole to replace the #8 screws being used in these bedding plates. Screwing to the deck with screws is a little asinine IMHO. Expecting screws to hold threaded into the top fiberglass layer is a bit much to ask over the decades.
The "disadvantage" of it not being available in all chandlers has always puzzled me. I've never heard a bad word about Butyl tape and have heard it being praised and recommended so many times. I wonder why it's not available all over the world.
Gotta say I'm surprised by the positive comments regarding butyl, Andrew. Seems more people are using it than I'd given credit to.
i found mine on amazon.ca
I’ve used bed-it butyl tape to rebed lifeline stantions, portlights, chainplates, and cleats. Very happy with the results. You can buy it (in the US anyway) at marinehowto.com.
For a moment there, I thought you had followed my sage advise regarding duct tape. Oh well...
Duct tape and WD40. No boat would be safe without them.
Don’t use it near a place where you might spill diesel. It will dissolve in diesel/petrol.
Good point, Edward. I should have included that in the 'cons' 👍
This sounds very significant. If both diesel and petrol disoolve it, what's its resistance to other chemicals like? Chemical resistance is quite a factor in some scenarios.
Use butyl as primary, unless it is in a place where pressure is excerpted
I think a bit pressure is ok providing it's through-bolted. Perhaps something like a stanchion base that gets grabbed all the time as you get on and off the boat might be questionable but then we used it on all our stanchion bases and haven't had a problem so far.
The process looks pretty much the same as used with plumbers putty. I wonder if that has ever been used on a boat.
Quite a few have mentioned the similarities with plumber's putty. I'm not sure of the chemical difference.
It may appear the same at first glance but are definitely not the same product. Plumber's putty is made from clay and linseed oil while butyl tape is a synthetic rubber. Plumbers putty will take a long time, think twenty years, but it will harden, crack and leak while butyl will never harden, crack or leak if installed properly.
I have bought a 38ft boat this summer, which had its teak deck removed ten years ago and finished in paint; every deck fitting bolt was sealed with 4200 back then and when I took it over about 50 bolts were leaking, hidden by the header, and had been for years, causing rot and nasty black mold all over. I have removed (almost) every fitting (just couldn’t shift the toe rail bolts) and found that in most cases the 4200 was ‘dead’. I have read that butyl tape will be good for 40 years plus. After finishing painting the inside fibreglass surfaces, and next the deck I will use butyl tape on the new ss bolts; no more 4200 or sikaflex for that job. I’ll try the one person trick of grinding a groove in the end of each bolt to enable the bolt to be held still with a flat head screw driver with one hand, whilst the nut is tightened with a spanner by the other hand.
So it's like a putty at this point?
It's like putty all the time because it doesn't dry, Paul.
First of all I have to apologise for my English. As I a not native speaker it sounds sometimes strange.
The butyl (and lots of other stuff running trough the marinas as rumours as the best) was created for other application than sealing. As I worked as developer in the field of insulating glass sealants I really know all the used material sticking glass, aluminium, plastic and others. Butyl was extruded as the first sealant on a double sealed insulating glass. The vapour seal is excellent, but it is never mechanical lasting. The temperature resistance is weak it becomes soft and sticky when it goes warm. If you have movements in the sealed area it glues with dirt from the environment and divides itself, this means it become unseal. because it works only like a dry screw. When you have to remove it, i.e. when replace a cleat it is nearly impossible because its behaviour is like an old glue from duct tape.
As described, butyl is used for the firs sealing in the inner side of insulating glass. the butyl tape, you (and lots of others) used. was made for mudguards ant other things in the car industry. It has no chemical bonding to the substrate and therefore it can (and will) be infiltrated from dust, salt and water. It has no temperature resistance and become soft in warm environments.
I by myself use either a very cheap acrylic sealant if there is no physical strength asked. An alternative could be Polysulfide sealant (as ist was used to chalk old wooden boats). you can us as well a ordinary silicone rubber as used in window frames (its the best if you have problems with UV resistance. Polyurethane (Sika is only one brand) is not as good if you have to loosen screws again. At the point of environmental influence there no sealant better than others. they all got the problem of plastic and will not weather in a short time. The only advantage of butyl is, it is not curing and stands in a malleable condition for years (what causes the above described problems).
You can make a simple test if you don't believe me. Take a small piece of butyl and stick two flat pieces of wood, GRP or metal plates together. Then try to tear apart the pieces. You will see a curtain of fine strings. put it together again and tear apart them again. do it like you want pump. you will feel that he strength become more and more weak. The butyl (if white) become more and more dirty and especially in high humidity it won't stick after a (short) while.
Thank you, Wanambi, and your English is spot on! I think in most instances the butyl in deck fittings won't see dirt (or the light of day) because of the way they are installed, but I have already tried your little test and yes, I got the curtain of fine strings. So far, after four years, it has held up well. Thank you for posting, we always appreciate feedback from people in the know 👍
Butyl sealant used in insulating glass units is a material that hardens to a rubbery state. Butyl tape on the other hand is a material that never hardens or changes consistency much even after decades. Even though they're both called Butyl they are really completely different.
No Richard, butyl tape, or better butyl band is extruded with 150 to 160°C from 19 kg blocks direct to the aluminium frame. The glass is applied from two sides to the frame, after this silicone, polyurethane or polysulfide is used as the secondary sealant. This is named two step sealing with butyl as first sealant and others (SI, PS or PUR) as second sealing.
What you mean and maybe know is as single sealed glass often made with hotmelt. Hotmelt is an other product, it works like an activated one component sealing and reacts to the rubber near product. It is stabilized often by an aluminium band inside and supplied often in big rolls. You can get it as well in blocks end extrude it while application.
I could tell you the full story of producing insulating glass from the 1970th but this is not the topic. The topic is sealing screws ant other thing with butyl tape. The recommended 3M Tape is used in cars for the montage of mudguards, or on roofs to seal steel sheets and prevent from scratching an noising.
JED you are right. The situation is that you always have small movements. Especially the Deck fittings move a lot. this makes the described curtain which offer the possibility of incoming wetness and dust. The seal will not fail immediately it looses (and this is the problem in our usage) from the both "open" sides slowly the adhesion. You will not see the unsealed parts because they are still tight for water. Nevertheless can the water either condensate in the gap or come as liquid water into the gap. As nearly all decks made in sandwich construction it CAN be a problem for the foam or wooden core. But that's not the only thing. As butyl sticks like a chewing gum it is as hard to remove. It is only a physical adhesion but over the time (influenced by heat) it becomes stronger like a rusty push-button. The surface in contact with air seems like it hardens but it becomes only dirty from dust. The covered part get deeper and deeper into the pores of Gelcoat or paint. To remove it for repainting solvent is used. with this solvent you smear the butyl around a big surface. (you wont see it with white or cream coloured butyl but for your own test take black butyl so you will see it.
I don't want to say it's wrong to use butyl. I want say it is not as uncomplicated as often told. The shipyard of my old boat used it (now 40 years ago) as I removed some deck fittings (especially cleats) it was a nightmare to see how much water came inside the sandwich and as well to remove the sticky stuff. Our boat I prepare now for living aboard is a French Dufour. As well it is now 50 years old but they used silicone rubber. For the first I was shocked because the deck needs to be repainted but it is removable very simple you can rub off the bigger layers and then clean it up by a small amount of solvent. The solvent should be soluble with water that you can rinse it of simple - that's it. The unseal parts have been the parts which where replaced cleats or screws always. Either butyl nor sika (PUR) is an universal problem solver in this field.
From my experience butyl has 3o year life expectancy, meaning it can last longer than that, but it starts to lose its elasticity after around that long and become less malleable. One should start thinking about replacing it after that long. Before it gets to that point as you stated, in which yes it can start to allow water to seep through and is harder to remove. So 40 years waited too long. This might be because as you stated it loses its properties after continual expansion and contraction plus allowing in dirt the more it is stretched, do not know, just know from experience it lasts that long in sealing instances that has mechanical nuts and bolts (or smaller applications, screws).
I was not aware that its adhesion strength increases over time, plus being influenced by heat. Good to know. Nor was aware that it should not be used in places that sees lots of movement, although never have used it for that. Again, good to know.
OMG, I've been trying to tell people about this stuff for years. Almost no one will listen, damn silicone heads...
Yes it is weird people just don't listen they shuffle off to chandlers and buy all sorts of goo and then make a huge mess, swearing all the time and still have leaks. Love Butyl tape.
P. T. Anderson Silicone may be pretty sticky when it is new and uncured, but the inevitable movement one finds on a boat can cause it to become "unstuck". Just think about all the siliconed fittings that you have ever removed from aluminum spars: it traps water under it and provides the perfect environment for a salt factory to establish itself while your back is turned. And somehow that ooze-gel seems quite caustic; it is certainly destructive to aluminum. Many times we have seen deck fittings that leak from the start simply because the installer unwittingly broke the seal with the solvent that they cleaned the perimeter with after bolting, washing the silicone right out by getting between the surface and the caulk. I am not saying that delicate plastic instrument display bezels or the like should not be siliconed on, but choose a better quality blend like silicone-acrylic, the more expensive blends are way better. And removing the old silicone when re-bedding, it helps to use a stainless or brass wire brush. The marks left by the brush can be erased with simple paint thinner.
I do not like this. I prefer something that cures into a flexible strong bond like Sika and is chemically 'stable' against diesel and solvents afterwards. I do not have ten thumbs and can do jobs cleanly. I agree it takes preparation, plenty tissue and a small kept handy plastic bag for used tissue. I have never had a leak. Great for you that you have had success with butyl. I hope it lasts well.
This channel IMHO, has lost its way with its mind numbingly boring maintenance issues that now seem to dominate the vlogs, and its overscripted static monologues that lacks any spontaneity. Sorry, this is my first comment on this channel, but I feel a bit of constructive criticism is required, before I sign out.
Really sorry it wasn't up to scratch, John. We'll replace the static monologues with swashbuckling high seas adventure immediately.
John Adams maintenance does suck but is a necessary evil of owning a boat is hard showing great adventure being on the hard scripted yep many look like a babbling idiot because they go on the fly even fake news is scripted but people continue to listen to their lies daily
Maintenance may not have been done by many who watch so is a great learning experience for them
some may have an oh yeah moment because they had forgotten
Still great videos
John Adams Geez! You might have had a better hearing if your sentences were coherent, your verbs agreed with their subjects ("... monologues that lacks...") and your facts verified. According to Social Blade Followtheboat is gaining thirty-five subscribers a day -- quite impressive for a sailing channel without jiggling bikinis and booze infused drama played out in front of Kodak Moment© sunsets.
Guys: goo.gl/images/n3pJpC
Daniel Wardin but feeding trolls islike playing with scamners
Fun